Youth Alpha

We met Squiff on the National Youth Alpha Weekend Away back in March – he is our hero...

... Squiff (yes, that is his real name, we think!) reckons that if he was bald, he’d look like a potato head. We think he looks more like a teddy bear (the soft, fluffy type!). So let’s find out some more about our Adviser of the Month for May.

Squiff is a pretty cool name... Is this your actual name?

It’s not my real name. Ummm, it came from when I was born. My sis came in to see me and she said... ‘Oh, mum, he’s all squiffy’.

Favourite ‘Dinner/Dish'?

Oooo. Tough. Probably my mum’s lasagne. [Squiff informs Youth Alpha that he can cook a mean fry up and is a dab hand when it comes to greasy delights!].

Have you always been a Christian?

Yeah.... I was brought up us a Christian and went to Sunday school. It became real for me when I was 13 on an Urban Saints Holiday.

What do you do at the moment?

I’m a professional musician, playing lots of cello, singing, a bit of guitar and I’m a worship leader. Oh, and I’m probably the best kazoo player you’ll ever meet!

All time fave album?

Ohhhh. [He laughs]. If I say Tim Hughes, will I get paid?! That’s a very big question, especially for a musician. I really love ‘In Rainbows’ by Radiohead. It’s kind of like; it’s not in a genre! I can’t explain. But then there are so many great classic albums.

Have you ever met a famous person?

[And no, Tim Hughes does not count!]. Whilst buying cricket whites, I met Thom York from Radiohead in a local sports shop; he was buying some badminton stuff.

Tell us a secret... (Ssshhhh)!

I think once I go bald, my head’s going to be so round that it will look like a potato!

What do you think worship is?

A personal whole-hearted response to a revelation of God.

How did you get involved with leading worship?

I was seventeen, and I just always loved worship and it was through music that I first really encountered God. Even before I could really play the guitar properly, I led worship and gradually over the years got more training, learnt off some good people and sang a lot in my bedroom. And now, I’m still learning under the likes of Tim Hughes and Luke Hellenbroth at Holy Trinity Brompton – feeling very privileged and loving it!

Tell us a little about your involvement with Youth Alpha...

I helped run a Youth Alpha course in my last year of Sixth Form at school and it went better than I could have ever possibly imagined... People kept coming back, asking great questions and enjoying themselves. I led worship at the National Youth Alpha Weekend Away, which was... SICK - met some really awesome people there and had an amazing time with God.

And finally tell us about your love for Youth Alpha and why other people should get involved...

It’s really hard telling your mates about Jesus and for me – Youth Alpha just does a lot of the hard work for you! Things always turn out better than what you expected. People really will enjoy the course and really will ask questions that you would never imagine!

Squiff... Welcome aboard the team.

Thanks very much, it’s a wonderful honour to be part of a great team!

We’re often asked about the deal with worship on Youth Alpha: Whether to do it or not (it can be a bit awkward if our mates have never been to church before after all!), what songs to use and when to use them. We don’t have any musical experts on the team...

... Which is why we’ve brought Squiff on the scene! We’ve just appointed him us our brand new and sparkling Youth Alpha Worship Adviser. Yes, that’s right – Squiff’s here to help you with all things worship on your Youth Alpha course.
 

He’d love to speak to you on the phone and is happy to chat over email – so why not fire him some questions now! Check out who your nearest Youth Alpha Adviser is by clicking here.